Chapter Thirteen
Madelyn kept her eyes on the riders, but it was hard pulling her attention away from the vast wilderness. It was prettier than any picture she’d ever seen, and if she didn’t know any better, she would have said it was fake. She decided nothing could be as beautiful as the ranch.
It took a few hours to make it to the camping spot. They stopped once so people could walk around, get something to drink, and eat the lunch the guide had brought them.
Madelyn couldn’t help but smile at the complaints of soreness. They were only halfway to the camp, so this group would really be complaining then. If a person didn’t ride horses frequently, they felt it in their butts, thighs, and lower back. Although she’d been riding a few times since she came to the ranch, she knew she’d still feel sore, just not to the extent of the people in her group.
Some twelve people rode, so it wasn’t a large group. There was a family of four, and the children were nine and eleven. There were several couples, one being newlyweds. The last two couples were longtime friends who vacationed together every year.
When it was time to move on, she helped whoever needed it to get back on their horses. Madelyn found a stump to help her on her own horse.
She smiled and waved at Johnathon when he gave her a thumbs-up. They rode for another few hours and then stopped in a clearing. She could tell it was the place they were camping at because of the logs situated around a large fire ring. There was also a roped area for the horses with a water trough and a bale of hay.
Madelyn counted two large tents she assumed were for the family of four and the group of friends. There were also smaller ones for the newlyweds. There were two more tents, she guessed were her’s and Johnathon’s.
“Madelyn, take the tent closest to the tree line, and I’ll take the small one near the horses in case there are any problems,” Johnathon said.
“Sounds good,” she said and slid from the horse. She had to hang onto the saddle horn for a moment to get steady before she tossed her backpack into the tent and then started to help take care of the horses.
The next few hours went by fast. The group had so much fun making hot dogs over the fire and then s’mores. Everyone was in good spirits but tired.
“I’ll take these to the creek and wash them,” she told Johnathon, showing him her armful of dirty dishes.
“I’ll clean this up. We’ve got a thunderstorm headed this way. It doesn’t look like it’s a big one, but I’d like everyone in their tents before it hits.”
“I’ll hurry.”
Madelyn used sand and environmentally safe soap to scrub the pots. She wiped her hands on her pant-legs and looked up when she heard thunder. The sky was getting dark, and clouds seemed to get bigger and more menacing the longer she stayed and watched.
A cold breeze lifted the hair off her shoulders and made a shiver race down her spine.
She figured she had a few minutes to get back before the storm hit, so she hurriedly picked up the dishes and walked back to camp. Everyone was already in their tents except Johnathon.
“Hey, just put them in the bag. It will keep them from blowing away.”
Madelyn shoved them in and watched Johnathon tie it off and set some heavy rocks on the sack. Their things wouldn’t be going anywhere now.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?” Johnathon asked. “This might be your only chance.”
“I think I’ll try.”
Johnathon handed her the roll of toilet paper and pointed to an area that had been blocked off for privacy. They’d even had downed trees to use for support. After peeing, she spread the wood chips they had on the side over it to keep the smell down.
The first raindrop hit her shoulder as she was headed back.
“Hurry up, Madelyn.”
She laughed and ran to where Jonathon stood by her tent.
“Do you have any questions?” he asked.
She shook her head. “None I can think of.”
He smiled and handed her a bottle of water. “Get in your tent.”
She scrambled in and took off her shoes, setting them to the side.
“Good night.”
“Good night,” she said before zipping the tent flap closed. Within a minute, a downpour soaked the area. They had the tents set up so water couldn’t get into them. They were thick and sturdy, and she felt perfectly safe in them, even though it sounded like the world was exploding outside.
The minimal light they’d had quickly left, leaving the inside of the tent in darkness. There was just enough light for her to find the battery-powered lantern Johnathon had given her. After lighting it, she grabbed her backpack and rummaged through it for the shorts and tank she would sleep in and changed into them.
A gust of wind hit the side of the tent, startling her. The temperature had lowered even more, and she regretted not bringing sweatpants and another warmer shirt.
The sleeping bag was thick and soft, and she sighed when she crawled in, zipping up the side and tucking it under her chin. She turned to her side and wasn’t surprised when she could already feel herself getting sleepy after the day they’d had.
Madelyn had no idea what woke her, and she froze to see if she could hear anything. She heard the horses nicker, but it sounded normal, not like they were in distress. She heard men’s voices but didn’t think anything of it.
She was just starting to doze again when she heard someone outside of her tent.
“Maddy.”
Her heart started pounding out of control when she heard Garrett’s voice.
“Garrett? What are you doing?” she asked.
“Trey and I rode up to help.”
“Your brother is here, too?”
“Yeah. He’s taking care of the horses. Can I unzip the tent?”
Madelyn sat up and brought the sleeping bag and tucked it under her arms. The temperature had fallen even more, and it made a shiver race down her spine.
She cleared her throat. “Okay.”
Garrett’s head popped in, he wiped the rain from his face and smiled. “I know this will be a lot to ask, but could my brother and I sleep here with you tonight?”
Her pulse shot up another notch. “There’s nowhere else? What about Johnathon’s tent?”
Garrett snorted. “No, there’s nowhere. We didn’t realize it was going to storm until we were halfway up here. We usually sleep outside near the fire and as far as Johnathon’s tent goes, it’s a one-person tent, and this one can hold several people.”
One thought after another raced through her mind, but she couldn’t grab onto just one.
“Come on, Maddy. You’re not going to make us sleep in the storm, are you?”
She sighed. “Fine.”
He grinned, turned, and whistled over his shoulder before coming all the way in and sitting off to the side. She watched him pull off his boots and set them by her shoes. The tent flap opened again, and Trey crawled in with two backpacks.
“Hey, Sweetheart. Thank you for letting us share,” Trey said as he closed the zipper and then started working on his boots.
The tent had been roomy a few minutes ago, but now, with these two large men taking up the space, it felt almost claustrophobic.
Her breath caught in her throat when they pulled off their shirts.
“Hey, wait, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Taking our wet clothes off,” Trey told her.
Her eyes widened when they started taking off their jeans. “You guys can’t be naked in here.”
Garrett snorted. “You’d rather us sleep in wet clothing? That’s unhealthy.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. He was enjoying her discomfort a bit too much.
“We’ll have our underwear on,” Trey said.
That wasn’t helping. She tried her best to ignore them, but it was impossible to do with them surrounding her. They piled their clothing in the corners where they were keeping their boots.
She plopped onto her back and brought the blanket up so it covered everything but the upper part of her face. She watched as they pulled their sleeping bags out of their backpacks and spread them out.
“Why don’t I scoot over to the side?”
Both men shook their heads.
“No. You’re fine where you are,” Trey said.
She sighed but didn’t say anything else. She told herself she only had to deal with the situation for a few hours, and they’d be sleeping for most of that. She could handle that. Right?